Optical device package

Abstract

In a substrate carrying optical devices housed in a case, there are formed positioning parts for defining the positions of optical axes of the optical devices. Flexible optical waveguides are provided which are fixedly held at one end in the positioning parts and connected at the other end to an optical connector ferrule mounted in the case, and deviations from proper alignment between the optical axes of the optical devices and the axes of optical fiber receiving holes of the optical connector ferrule are accommodated by deformation of the flexible optical waveguides.

What is claimed is:  
     
       1. An optical device package comprising: 
       a substrate having mounted on its one side optical devices and having formed in said one side positioning parts for defining the positions of optical axes of said optical devices, each said optical device having plural pairs of ports for externally receiving/delivering light beams on both sides thereof opposite to each other, said positioning parts being formed in plural pairs therewith, and each said positioning part in each pair being provided to correspond to each said port of each pair of each said optical device;  
       a case with said substrate housed therein;  
       two optical connector ferrules fitted in windows formed in two opposite sidewalls of said case;  
       flexible optical waveguides having one ends held in optical fiber receiving holes formed in said optical two connector ferrules and extended at the other ends into said case and positioned in said positioning parts to define positions of optical axes of said flexible optical waveguides in alignment with the corresponding ports of said optical devices; and  
       two ferrule couplers provided on end faces of said two optical connector ferrules externally exposed out of said case, for optically coupling externally connecting optical fibers held in two externally connecting optical connector ferrules to said flexible optical waveguides held by the corresponding optical connector ferrules,  
       whereby any pair of the optical fibers held in said two externally connecting optical connector ferrules are coupled together by means of the flexible optical waveguides without adjusting offset in alignment of the axes of the pair of the optical fibers.  
     
     
       2. The optical device package according to  claim 1 , wherein 
       said externally connecting optical fibers are single-mode optical fibers, and  
       the externally connecting optical connector ferrule and the optical connector ferrule are bonded together,  
       whereby the optical devices housed in the case can be accessed only by connecting external device to the single-mode optical fiber led from the optical device package.  
     
     
       3. The optical device package according to  claim 2 , wherein 
       said optical devices are optical switches, whereby the optical device package acts as an optical switch package.  
     
     
       4. The optical device package according to  claim 1 , wherein 
       the two ports in each pair for each said optical device are provided on opposite sides of the optical device, and  
       the other ends of the flexible optical waveguides held in the two ports in each pair are oppositely provided to each other so that they are optically coupled together when the optical device positioned therebetween is offset.  
     
     
       5. The optical device package according to  claim 4 , wherein 
       said externally connecting optical fibers are single-mode optical fibers, and  
       the externally connecting optical connector ferrule and the optical connector ferrule are bonded together,  
       whereby the optical devices housed in the case can be accessed only by connecting external device to the single-mode optical fiber led from the optical device package.  
     
     
       6. The optical device package according to  claim 5 , wherein 
       said optical devices are optical switches, whereby the optical device package acts as an optical switch package.